Your Questions Answered (Part 4 of 4)

Here it is, the final portion of the most recent Q&A session. Admit it, you probably thought you wouldn’t see it for another month, but here it is.

There are a variety of subjects covered, both MLS related and European soccer related. Among the questions are one about Eddie Johnson and whether he’ll ever have a reason to smile in a national team uniform again, as well as one about the future of the right wing position for the national team.

Here they are, the rest of your most recent questions answered (Keep an eye out for the next Q&A, which will be this week):

ADAM- If you could be any household appliance what would you be and why?

IVES- I have no idea. I wish I had an answer for that one. How about a computer?

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IRENE IS NO PIG- Which DP’s do you figure will arrive in 2009 and which teams? Does each team have enough dough to gain a respectable star like say of Blanco or Angel’s stature and fame? Perhaps every team needs to trade in and get at least 2 DP’s for their squad, might improve the quality of the team and attendance. Thoughts?

IVES- I wouldn’t know where to begin and I don’t know anybody who has a clue right now on what DPs will be targeted. I have heard from sources that the Red Bulls have identified Thierry Henry as a player they plan to go after if and when he becomes available. Beyond that I haven’t a clue. I can say that D.C., Toronto, New York and New England are prime candidates to add DPs in 2009.

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DREW- Did the Fire make a mistake by signing Marmol this year (he makes good money for MLS)? Does Cervi have any prospects for a job?

IVES- Right now it’s looking like a waste of $80,000. I can’t write Marmol off yet because I saw a lot of him in pre-season and he showed me quite a bit as a defensive midfielder. It seems he has been used mainly in central defense for Chicago. He’s still young, but I can’t help but wonder if Chicago won’t be cutting bait once the year ends.

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IRENE IS NO PIG- Ives, you’re so knowledgeable and quite funny as well. You’re doing a good job. Remember that.

Who do you think will qualify in the UEFA WC qualifying? Any top pics beside say Spain or Germany?

IVES- Thanks Irene, I appreciate that.

Here is how I see the groups finishing:

1- Portugal, Sweden

2- Greece, Israel

3- Czech Republic, Poland

4- Germany, Russia

5- Spain, Turkey

6- England, Croatia

7- France Serbia

8- Italy, Ireland

9- Netherlands, Scotland

Darkhorses are Lithuania and Albania.

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BRANT- Given Newcastle’s recent implosion, and Fulham’s lack of Americans, who should a disgusted American Magpies fan now cheer for in England? I don’t want to hop on a Big 4 Bandwagon…

IVES- Hull sure is looking like a fun team to watch. Same for Wigan, which even has a few Hondurans to give you the CONCACAF connection.

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BRANT- You never got back to us on what question you wanted someone to ask but didn’t get a chance to answer (from the last Q&A)

IVES- Not sure about that one Brant. I might start opening up the Q&A to non-soccer questions just to spice things up, and to hopefully break up the monotony of some of the same questions coming over and over. I wouldn’t mind movie or TV show questions. Soccer wise, questions about my experiences as a writer wouldn’t be bad. I can’t think of specific questions though.

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HENRIK- Can EJ turn everything around? How many goals or assists do you see he getting with Cardiff? Do you see Brian Ching or Charlie Davies taking his spot in South Africa if he keeps sinking low.

IVES- He’s still young and still physically gifted, but his head is a mess. That’s the only explanation I have for how far he’s fallen. Would it shock me if thinks clicked at some point and he became a viable international forward? Not really, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if he wound up back in MLS in two years and never returned to his 15-goal form.

As for who will be on the 2010 World Cup roster at forward, I would say that Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies are both good candidates, as is Kenny Cooper. Ching’s a possiblity but he isn’t exactly a spring chicken and the tournament is still two years way.

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BRANT- How late in the game will FIFA wait before pulling the plug on South Africa in 2010 and asking the US to jump thru hoops to host the World Cup? Wait and see how the Confederations Cup goes?

IVES- I think a decision will be made by the 2009 Confederations Cup. I think FIFA can turn things over to an alternative host with a year to go.

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SCOTT- How would you rank the top 10 leagues in europe besides the Big 4? We have all heard the comparisons between La Liga, EPL, and Serie A, with Bundesliga being right behind, but what about every one else? Is the Ligue 1 in France better than Portugal? How does the Belgian league compare with the dutch? is the Austrian league even worse than the Norwegian league? Are either better than Serie’ B or Engalnd Championship league?

IVES- I’m pretty sure I did this same ranking at some point this year, but can’t remember when.

So you want me to rank leagues five through 14? Jeez. Seriously? I’ll leave it to UEFA, which has its own ranking system for its leagues. Here’s the Top 20:

England

Spain

Italy

France

Germany

Russia

Romania

Portugal

Netherlands

Scotland

Turkey

Ukraine

Belgium

Greece

Czech Republic

Switzerland

Bulgaria

Norway

Denmark

Austria

The most surprising league in these rankings is Romania, checking in at seventh.

As for Serie B and the English League championship, I would probably rank them somewhere in the 12-15 range.

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HENRIK- What new soccer specific stadiums should be up and running by 2010 and 2011?

IVES- Red Bull Arena, Kansas City’s stadium and Philadelphia’s stadium should be up and running. Those are the three that come to mind. That would give MLS the following soccer-specific stadiums:

Home Depot Center

Dick’s Sporting Good’s Park

RSL Stadium

Wizards Stadium

Toyota Park

Pizza Hut Park

Crew Stadium

Red Bull Arena

Philadelphia Stadium

BMO Field

That leaves DC, Houston, New England, San Jose and Seattle without stadiums in 2011. Could things change in three years? Possibly.

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JIMMY BOBO- Yo, Ives. I heard the great story about the three Cuban soccer players who defected in Tampa during the Olympic qualifying tournament. I heard that they took a bus all the way from Florida to LA to be on trial with the Galaxy. My understanding was that the goalkeeper was pretty good. What ever happened with those dudes? Were they released by LA? Did another team pick them up?

IVES- I believe the issue at this point is the players receiving the paperwork necessary to embark on professional careers. I’m not sure where they are lining up trials or potential deals but I don’t think we will learn more next year.

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MATT- Hypothetical for you: If Tim Howard were hurt for a crucial game, do we go with Guzan, or does BB make a desperate call to Keller and/or Friedel?

IVES- If we are talking one game, I can’t help but wonder if Marcus Hahnemann wouldn’t get the call (Guzan just doesn’t have the big-game experience and isn’t seeing first-team action these days). I think he would get the call before Keller at this point. As for Friedel, he’s still a great goalkeeper, but has been retired for quite some time. That said, I can’t imagine Friedel would say no if the U.S. team were in a must-win situation. Let’s say they are in the Hexagonal and need a crucial road win to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Something tells me Friedel would accept the invite.

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PETER- With MLS picking off USL cities how will the USL going to keep on without the flatline?

Do you think that the USL could do Prom/Rel.?

Lastly what do you think how many more spots on the rosters do MLS teams need to compete in all these events,and what is a realistic bump up in salary cap?

IVES- I don’t think MLS will take enough USL markets to kill USL. I would argue that USL is growing in strength, with talent improving, investment improving and respect for the league improving. That said, I still don’t see promotion/relegation happening.

As for roster spots needed to really compete. I would say that teams need 28 to 30 senior roster spots for MLS teams to be strong enough to compete in multiple competitions. Ideally you would have a 28-man senior roster and 10-man developmental roster. That’s 10 extra senior roster spots and salaries to fill those slots.

And a realistic salary bump in the salary cap is tough to measure because we don’t know how high MLS is willing to go. A $1 million increase per team means a $16 million increase MLS owners have to cover. I personally think a $5 million cap on a 28-man senior roster would be an ideal next step, but that would mean more than a $40 million increase for MLS to deal with.

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ZANO- I liked your post about road qualifiers. A lot is made of the hostile crowds of CONCACAF opposition. Do small European countries have the same kind of crowds?

This is hypothetical, if the USA and England were to switch places for qualifying, how do you think each team would do?

IVES- Good question. I don’t think England would walk into Guatemala City or Havana or Mexico City and get major results. They would struggle with the hostile crowds, poor field conditions, altitude and all the things that make CONCACAF uniquely difficult.

I also want to touch on the notion that the U.S. team’s success in road qualifying over the past few years is evidence that CONCACAF road qualifying isn’t that tough. While the U.S. team’s road qualifying record is very good, there have been countless results that have come courtesy of late-game heroics. From Brian Ching in Jamaica to Cobi Jones in Panama to Clint Dempsey in Honduras. Road qualifiers in CONCACAF are tough, and that doesn’t just apply to the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica.

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HOMEY- With all the money going into the EPL right now, especially to Manchester City, it’s obvious that at least one really big club will be left out of the Champions League. Will England at some point get a 5th CL spot, and are those decisions made each year?

IVES- UEFA caps the number of CL slots at four for the top three leagues in Europe. I’m not sure if that is changing any time soon. If anything, it should make for a great race for fourth place. That said, I’m not sure City will be a Top four contender right away. I think City will need a summer with the big bucks to make the really big moves to move into the high-rent destrict.

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MIKE K- Yes or No time again!1- Sunderland stays up this year.2- Rangers break Celtic’s string of SPL titles.3- Celtic gets out of the group stages again.

IVES- Yes. Yes. No.

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TOM M- Tomorrow you wake up and realize you’re the Colorado Rapids FO.

After therapy, you are tasked with hiring a new coach and shaking up the roster.

Who do you hire, and what roster moves do you make?

Great site- I visit several times a day. My #1 site for soccer updates.

IVES- Thanks Tom, appreciate the kind words.

I have to say that parting ways with Fernando Clavijo has done quite a bit to help matters. The way Colorado is playing right now has me thinking the Rapids just might be able to make a surprise MLS Cup run.

Now, as far as who I hire as head coach in 2009? The team has responded very well to Gary Smith so i’d have to see him finish out this year before I would pass on him. I know John Spencer has long been considered a favorite to eventually become Colorado’s head coach, but I’m not sure he’s the man I would hire.

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DARWIN- Is Red Bull Arena being built to support expansion as the previous stadium designs have.

IVES-I believe the current design is capable of being expanded upon.

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ANDREW DICE WAY- The USMNT right flank: Donavon’s more effective in the middle supporting striker role, Dempsey doesn’t provide enough defensive cover against good left flank opposition… Is there another realistic option for 2010? Maybe a positional switch for an existing player and/or a new option that we haven’t considered?

IVES- I’ve always said that DaMarcus Beasley could be an option on the right flank if a left winger close to him in ability emerged. I know U.S. fans are optimistic about Robbie Rogers, but I’m not sure he is ready to step in on the national team level until next summer at the earliest. Now, if and when Rogers or a player like him steps up, I think Beasley could definitely step in on the right. I know he played on the right at times for PSV and could certainly do it again.

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SCOTT- Bonjour Ives. At what level could Brazilian star Marta compete at the men’s level? MLS? English Championship? Below USL? Bundesliga? I have no idea.

Yeah, the inclusion of Romania as the 7th best league in Europe is surprising… although, if you think about it, how well did CFR Cluj do in Champions League the other day? The Roma team that Cluj beat has how many internationals from top teams – a zillion? (Admit it – you never even HEARD of CFR Cluj until the Champions League draw came out, right?)

In fact, if you go to ESPNsoccernet.com, you can’t even get the Romanian league standings, much less any other information about the teams or games there!

I was thinking about this in relation to your Top 25 European club sides posted yesterday. What about Dinamo Bucharest or Cluj, or Steaua Bucharest?

Ives: Thanks for the mention of the Norwegian league, home of defending champions SK Brann. Fellow Scandinavians from Denmark (listed below them) and Sweden (not listed at all) will surely squawk. But here’s the real question: where would MLS fit into that ranking?

Marta question is hilarious. She wouldn’t be able to compete at any level with men. Why do people keep questioning whether or not the women can compete with the men. Didn’t Mia Hamm and the women’s team lose like 15-0 in a scrimmage with Virginia mens team?

Funny you mention it Sam. A former player on the North Carolina Mens team metioned that Mia Hamm would practice with them between national team assignments. The reviews were that she was quite pedestrian when compared to the men.

Oh come on Ives, answer the Marta question. Scarrrred? I think you’re a good judge of talent so could provide a pretty good answer. Even if you said high school men’s team talent, give it your best shot

Ives, if MLS does take more USL cities, what do you see the USL doing? Will they just expand, or do you think teams from USL-2 will move up? There are some pretty big markets in USL-2 right now, like Cleveland and Pittsburgh.